Hundreds of workers on the prestigious Wembley Stadium project who have been locked in a bitter dispute with their employers will today decide whether or not to accept a deal agreed on their behalf by union leaders.

More than 200 construction workers, mainly from the North East and Scotland, said they were locked out last month after their employers, Cleveland Bridge, stopped working on the site.

The builders, members of the GMB and Amicus, claimed work on the £737 million stadium had virtually ground to a half because of the dispute.

Talks between the unions and employers in London yesterday produced a deal which will be put to a mass meeting of workers today.

Under the deal, workers would be reinstated to the project while further negotiations were held about their claim for compensation for the three weeks they have not been working on the project.

Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB, said last night: ''We are very pleased with the outcome. It demonstrates that whatever legal threats are made the GMB will stick by its members.''

Many of the workers attended the TUC Congress in Brighton on Monday to lobby for support for their case.

Multiplex, the company in overall charge of the project, denied union claims that the scheme was behind schedule.

Paul Kenny, a senior GMB official, said he expected the workers to accept the deal.

He predicted a staggered return to work from later this week, adding: ''We are very pleased that we have stood firm to protect the interests of the workers.''

A spokesman for Multiplex, which is in charge of the Wembley project, said it understood that an agreement to end the dispute was ''very close''.

He added: ''Construction of the national stadium at Wembley is currently on schedule and on budget. We are looking forward to an early end to this dispute so we can open the world class stadium by January 2006.''

Derek Simpson, general secretary of Amicus, said yesterday's talks had resulted in a ''good offer'' to facilitate an end to the dispute and a return to work for the builders.